How Nintendo can save the Wii U

Nintendo's Wii U Launched in 2012 and since that period it's been tripping itself up to the point that it'll be seeing the game over screen a lot sooner than expected. The low sale numbers speak for themselves and WII U hasn't been doing so well for a next generation system. Nintendo continues to sale the Wii U hardware at a loss. Want facts? The Wii U is selling less than the PS Vita and even its predecessor Wii. Third party publishers are deserting the system and analysts are really worried about the future of Nintendo (nothing new there.)

The Wii u sales are really, really bad and prove that Nintendo need to switch up their game plan and evolve. In reality the stubborn mentality of Nintendo and their 'yes men' have only held the company back from it's desired riches. The thing is, Nintendo has the potential to be much more than it is at the moment but only if it steps out of it's little bubble, wakes up and smells the coffee. Still think it's not that bad? Well even current CEO of Nintendo Iwata owned up for the recent poor sales.

Nintendo's Wii U needs a starman and while pessimists and rival fanboys may scream Nintendoomed, it still has a chance to redeem itself and turn over a new leaf. The WII U isn't entirely KO'd, so don't ring the bell just yet. How can Nintendo save the Wii U you ask? Well that's simple. Let's look at the solutions.

More games please!

Well this is a no brainer, since it's debut back in late 2012 the Wii U's launch games have been disappointing and fast forward to 2013 and not much has changed. There's been no real reason to go out and purchase a Wii U, especially if you own a 3DS or rival company console.

When you think of Nintendo, you probably think of memorable mascots like Mario, Yoshi, Donkey Kong and Link but the Wii U doesn't have even have a brand new Mario or Zelda IP as of yet. A better question is where's the Mario spin-offs that we've all come accustomed to? One of the major problems undeniably facing the WII U is the lack of appealing games, it's that's simple. Pikmin 3 is the start of what may become Nintendo's biggest comeback in years.

"Nintendo needs more games for the Wii U and it needs them now."

Better marketing

You'd be surprised but many casual gamers still don't know what a Wii U is and the ones that do probably think it's just an add on tablet for the original Wii, not a good start eh? Nintendo's poor marketing campaign for their console has done the Wii U no favours. Even retailers who are selling the product think the WII U is just an accessory for Nintendo's original Wii. Proof? Take a look at American retailer Target's recent advertising mistake. Nintendo obviously need to improve their marketing campaign.

"Even the some retailers who are peddling the product think the Wii U is just an accessory for Nintendo’s original Wii."

Dat price drop

While dropping the price without any hardcore titles would be suicidal, once the appealing heavy hitters like Zelda and Mario start landing, a price drop should help budge some extra units, especially since at the moment it's only £50 cheaper than the upcoming PS4. If Nintendo were to drop the price, it could probably lure some consumers into getting a Wii U over the more expensive next gen systems, but of course not without an amazing lineup of mouth watering first party exclusives.Third party support

In the beginning Nintendo has an impressive collection of third party publishers for the WII U Launch, but that support evaporated during the following months and it's not surprising. Developers are already ignoring the Wii U's existence and it could only get worse once most games are released on PS4 and Xbox one. Nintendo need to somehow seduce it's third party support back without completely whoring itself out. Nintendo could always take the route of paying for exclusives or get creative by creating exclusive Nintendo cameos, can you imagine a Nintendo vs Capcom title? Nintendo can probably survive on first party sales alone, but gamers want more games.Add Trophies and Achievements
When Microsoft first introduced it's achievement system back in 2005 on the Xbox 360, at first the it seemed pointless but soon gamers became obsessed with the idea to collect as many achievements as possible. Sony and Nintendo were both resistant to the notion, but Sony soon used it's common sense and implemented trophies in every PS3 game from the year of 2008. At present, similar achievements are available on Stream, Vita, mobile games and more, but hard headed Nintendo still haven't warmed up to the idea. This can't continue.

By choosing to leave out a trophy styled system on the Wii U, it not only makes Nintendo look outdated and stuck in the past but, non-system exclusives look unquestionably less alluring to many consumers. Nintendo could make an appealing achievement system if they wanted to, imagine getting a star or gold coin every time you completed a game achievement?Taking Online-Multiplayer seriously

Nintendo's approach at providing an enjoyable and competitive online experience has been one big joke from day one. The lack of online multiplayer support is definitely affecting the Wii U. Like trophies, Nintendo haven't come to the realization that Online gaming is going to play an important part in the future of the video game industry, as a matter of fact it's already begun. Failed opportunities to expand and create a strong online community is already writing off the Wii U as a old timer amongst the upcoming PS4 and Xbox One. As it seems Nintendo have no interest of including online modes in their first party exclusives.

Games like NSMBU, Nintendo Land and Pikmin 3 are just some of the missed opportunities. It's disappointing that Nintendo are still stuck in the stone age in regards to online gaming. Nintendo need to implement online modes into their games. That's not to say every game needs online but it's beyond ridiculous when a four player co-op game like super Mario 3D excludes online multiplayer. Nintendo needs to wake up, stop forcing local co-op on it's gamers and take online gaming more seriously for it to be even be considered a threat in the future.

As 2013 progresses, Sony and Microsoft will be on the center stage as they promote their new PS4 and Xbox one systems, both of which are considerably more powerful and have more third party support than the Wii U. If Nintendo wishes to win back core audiences and attract new gamers, it better act soon.

Otherwise Nintendo can use the backdoor and focus on dominating the handheld market at least until tablet and smartphone gaming catches up to traditional handhelds.

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comments:

I definitely agree with all the points made. Nintendo as a publisher's biggest problem is that they don't take time to understand their own products, and in turn, they don't fully understand what they're capable of.

With the Wii U, when it was announced, Nintendo practically said "We don't know what it can do." But they released it anyway. Nintendo needs to take time, years, to fully understand each new idea they have, and then once they've perfected that idea, then release it to the public. Its this "Get it on the market as soon as we have the idea" mindset that keeps pushing them steps behind other companies like Sony and Microsoft.

I don't want to see another home console from Nintendo for at least another 10 years. They really need to take the time to perfect their products.

I blame the horrible marketing, this is one of the worst campaigns I have ever seen for a console, people are legitimately confused about what it is. The launch was also horrible, Pikmin 3 should have been ready 8 fucking years after Pikmin 2, delaying an 8 year project is insane.

Give us a Zelda, a Mario, and Pikmin 3 and I think this thing will turn around just like the 3DS did.

Excellent article, hit everything right on the nose. This is the first Nintendo console, home or portable, I've not bought at launch since the GBA (which I bought later). I'm seeing good prices for the Wii U now and again but I'm holding off because there simply aren't any games I want. I'm still shocked Ubisoft delayed Rayman Legends, I might well have purchased a Wii U for that alone - now I'll probably get it on PS3.

i agree with all of this. i believe a $50 price cut or ditching the basic model and replacing it with the deluxe model would also help. also i think giving new adoptersv irtual console titles or something downlodable would be a good pack-in becasue it doesnt coast nintendo much and would not effect the profit margin or lack theirof (nintendo takes a loss for each console sold until you buy a game or 2.) and nintendo needs to bring back third-party games or the wii u is gonna fail, no BF4 is a total downer for me

Well I was thinking[ as always have been] that the only way to fix this problem of their is releasing a new console.Yes is not too late to Nintendo to release a premature all new warm system.Because the Wii U is just a mistake that is reaallly far from be fixed.Nintendo's control Wii U pad is just plain absurd, just a complete waste of everything.And if that wasn't enough ;the main problem of the Wii U is the console capabilities. Several companies are giving the back to Nintendo's latest console just because the harware is very slow and limited.And we are talking about for example Rockstar, Bethesda, just to say some of the several companies. Mario is not enough, can't believe they just release a Mario game for the Wii U in 2D!!!!!! Just all these years to deliver the same graphics?,c'mon! this guys are unbelievable!And the price is A COMPLETE THIEVERY!!!! If the console is inferior to the PLAYSTATION 3 and XBOX 360 by much,So the fair price for the WII U must be less than that consoles! Really they need to cut it really good to at lest to get even!The other 2 past consoles are wayyyyy better than the WII U with better games graphics,controls and libraries,so who knowing all of this would want a Wii U?Release a new console or die Nintendo!

I do not believe the WiiU can recover. At GameStop i see the whole wall dedicated to ps3 and xbox games. Then i see the little section between the window and the counter dedicated to WiiU games. It has to only be a maximum of two and a half feet.

The reason why I haven't gotten a WiiU is because Nintendo hasn't convinced me that, as a gamer, I need to buy this system. I already have a Wii, 3DS (although I haven't touched it in months), and a 360 and I am very content with what I have. Why should I buy this system when I already have plenty of older games to keep me occupied (especially in this horrible economy)? What can the WiiU give me that my older consoles cant?

This could have been a big break for Nintendo. In an industry that is evolving and introducing new possibilities that gamers never would have thought possible 10 or so years ago, Nintendo could have made the Wii U into something much more than what it is today. Why not have improved online capabilities so we can play Online-only games from the comfort of our living room couch? Or better yet, focus less on the casual gaming audience and more on the audience that made you so great in the first place?

Once the PS4/ Xbox1 are released, I think that will be the end for Nintendo.Shame, as I have many childhood memories thx to Nintendo, but over the years the have run out of ideas, and simply cannot compete with the big boys.

Nintendo doesn't﻿ understand that what made the NES great was 1st AND 3rd party support. Once 3rd party support trickled to almost nothing with the Wii it was over. It became a dust collector. For me WiiU became their first home console I did not buy day one.

Nintendo fanboys are in denial. Nintendo takes a long time to make games, and now that we're in the HD generation, they're going to take even longer. That means even less games, and with very little third party support, it's clear that Nintendo is in trouble. Unfortunately, the only way I can see them being relevant in the future is if they make a less powerful system, at an affordable price, for just first and second party games or just going handheld only.

Here in europe the WiiU just miraculously appeared on the shelves, and 90% of non Internet-Game-News people don`t even know it exists. No advertisement, no demo-booths, almost no commercials...just nothing.

I have never seen such an incredible fail marketing before.The PS4 and XboxOne are already much more present than the WiiU here.......

it doesn't matter...the sheep will still flock....just look at how pathetic the responses are to SMB3D world petition for online multiplayer... Nintendo lame-wads are replying with shit like "i don't need online for this game cause nintendo says so"

Nothing's gonna change because the sheep will accept ANYTHING Nintendo does or doesn't do.....

At this point, it looks likely that third parties will not be releasing PS4/Xbox1 titles on the Wii U. So Nintendo is going to have to up their game with a lot of first party and exclusive third party content. I think they can do it, but not to the extent where the Wii U is going to be an acceptable primary console for people who want a couple of new AAA titles to play each month.

I love stopping by the Nintendo board for my daily dose of delusion. Fans like them are the reason the company is in the state it's in. they say thank you, with a chocolate smile every time they spoon feed them shit.

I'm not a troll, I love Nintendo. It's fan base's blind love and acceptance for everything they do is incredibly disturbing though.

Nintendo will be fine, but I don't think the Wii U can be saved. By the time it gets the games it should have had at launch, the next-gen consoles will be here and very few people will give a shit. Its also stuck with an expensive controller that no one, including Nintendo to some extent, has any idea what to do with.

I think the Wii gave Nintendo a false sense of security. In reality, there are about 25-30 million core Nintendo fans that will purchase their console. That was pretty much the N64 and GCN. The Wii gave them false security with it's success from the emerging casual crowd. Nintendo thought they would follow them into the next generation, which was wrong.

They need to have a fucking price drop. Then they need actual good advertisement. Calling it Wii U was a horrible idea, confused so many people. This holiday is their time to get people to buy it, and I don't think there are many who want to spend near the same price as PS4 for the Wii U. The Wii did so well because it was cheaper and appealed to more people. The Wii U is not very appealing at all right now. There are quite a few games I absolutely want for the Wii U, and I'll be so mad at NIntendo if they're responsible for those games doing poorly.

It came out too early. They did that with the 3DS too. Instead of learning their lesson they somehow did worse.

I just can't phantom why so many people say VITA is dead while Wii U is still in the race. PS VITA is getting games stacked up to the sky. Indie games, yes but still a LOAD of games. I personally like indie games a lot more than big budget titles most of the time so, it just seems smarter to invest in a vita when I can afford it.

As for the 3DS, it's doing good in Japan but not as well at all in Europe or the America's by comparison. I believe that the Wii U still has a chance but it needs a true account system for me to even to ever consider buying one, even if I were loaded with money.

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